Bellevue, WA, March 29, 2016 – To support the successful health and growth of independent brick-and-mortar retailers in the hobby game industry, Privateer Press has announced a new “free rider” policy with its distribution partners. Online retailers who have little meaningful contact and offer few or no services of value to player audiences undermine the stability of the market by selling product at discounts well below the retail value. They are depending solely on the efforts of independent brick-and-mortar retailers to offer those services that they do not in order to keep their business model alive. This model of business is widely recognized by experts and the justice system as “free riding” and is viewed in the hobby game industry as crippling and anticompetitive. Free riding practices undermine the efforts of Privateer’s brick-and-mortar partners and the services they offer that nurture the audience and grow the market.

Privateer Press recognizes that the health and success of brick-and-mortar retailers is crucial to give players access to the worldwide community of players who enjoy the friendly competition, hobby experiences, and casual and competitive organized play for which Privateer Press is a recognized industry leader.

Upon enacting this policy, Privateer will monitor the market for free riders and provide a confidential list to its distributors regarding which retailers are offering Privateer Press products at an unsustainable deep discount while offering little or nothing in the way of services. This list will be updated and reevaluated by Privateer Press through a regular internal evaluation process in which listed retailers who have ended their harmful business practices may be removed from the list and new retailers may be added. Distributors who sell product to retailers that have been added to the free rider list will have their shipments, including new releases, delayed. This delay protects the investment of those distributors and their retailers, who require the unobstructed revenue of a full-market-value product to support community-growth programs. Furthermore, a delay will disincentivize a distributor from selling product to any free rider, because having product on time is critical to the success of its business model. The free rider list will be provided confidentially to Privateer’s distribution partners with an updated distributor’s agreement on April 4, 2016, at which time the policy will be enforced.

“It is our hope that, by implementing this free rider policy, we can protect the margins of those retailers who are vital to the continued growth and health of the community of players who enjoy our games,” said Sherry Yeary, president of Privateer Press. “We also recognize that online retailers provide product availability to some customers who do not have ready access to a local brick-and-mortar store. We hope those online retailers—with integrity and the foresight to protect the longevity and availability of the product lines providing their income—will swiftly adjust any retailing practices that are counterproductive to the health of our industry.”

About Privateer Press, Inc.

Privateer Press, Inc., is a privately held producer of entertainment and hobby brands based in the Seattle area. Its products include the award-winning WARMACHINE and HORDES hobby miniatures games, the award-winning Iron Kingdoms property and Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game, the Monsterpocalypse battle miniatures game, the Formula P3 hobby line, No Quarter magazine, and digital fiction through the Skull Island eXpeditions imprint. LEVEL 7 is the property of Matthew D. Wilson, used under license. To learn more about Privateer Press, visit www.privateerpress.com or contact the president, Sherry Yeary, at (425) 643-5900 or sherry@privateerpress.com.